Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
by
Shantanu Mandal
Roll – 16ME62R015
Department of Mechanical Engineering
IIT Kharagpur
INTRODUCTION
• Wind results from air in motion. The circulation of air in the atmosphere is caused by the non-
uniform heating of the earth’s surface by the sun.
• Average wind speeds are greater in hilly and coastal areas than they are well inland.
• Wind speeds increases with height. They have traditionally been measured at a standard height of
10m where they are found to be 20-25% greater than close to the surface. At a height of 60m they
may be 30-60% higher because of the reduction in the drag effect of the earth’s surface.
• A windmill is a mill that converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy by means of
vanes called blades. They are basically wind turbines used to generate electricity.
• Conventional wind energy collectors are horizontal axis machines eg. Dutch type wind mill and
vertical axis machines eg. Darrieus rotor.
Drawbacks of conventional wind mill
• The most important disadvantage of conventional types is that there is not always (enough) wind.
Whereas at higher altitudes, wind conditions are much better.
• Wind turbines have a negative impact on birds, which can be killed or injured through collision
with the rotating blades.
• Many potential wind farms, places where wind energy can be produced on a large scale, are far
away from places for which wind energy is best suited. Therefore, the economical nature of wind
energy may take a beating in terms of new sub stations and transmission lines.
The flying windmill
• It is a windmill similar to a conventional one in its working
principle but here the rotor and generator will be floating in air
just like a hot air balloon.
• The generator will be enclosed in an inflatable structure and this
structure is held by a Tether and tied to the ground.
• Flying windmills are even more advantageous as it has ad-hoc
generation: devices with a reasonably simple tether-system do not
have to be permanently installed in one place, They could be
trucked out to any location that needed them.
• Canadian engineer Fred Ferguson, specialized in airships,
proposed an innovative system called as Magenn Air Rotor System
(MARS).
Fig: Flying Windmill
Magenn Air Rotor System (MARS)
• Magenn’s design is radically different from other
windmills on the market it would not use propeller
blades. Instead, it would be a helium blimp, with
Savories-style scoops causing it to rotate around
motors at the attachment-points to its tether.
• The helium filled MARS is a buoyant turbine made of
vectran – a bulletproof material that is stronger than
steel of the same thickness – and is connected to the
ground by an insulated conductive tether.
• The unit can rise to a height of 300 to 1,000 feet to
take advantage of more constant and higher wind
speeds at higher altitudes that conventional wind
turbines are unable to reach.
• While in the sky, the MARS turbine spins in the wind,
generating electricity. The current is transferred down
the tether for consumption, battery storage or
transmitted to a power grid.
Fig: Magenn Air Rotor System
Different control methods
• Over speed controls are built into the design of MARS.
• On the larger MARS units, excessive speed is controlled by moderating tether height.
• Pressure is constantly monitored and controlled.
• Rotation speed, wind speed, and generator functions are also monitored.
• All MARS units must and will have a mechanism to quickly deflate in case a unit gets detached
from its tether.
Lifting Mechanism
• MARS is filled with helium gas, which is inert and
non-flammable. The lifting gas creates a lift force
that is in excess of the total weight of the system.
• Additional lift is also created when the rotor is
spinning in a wind. The aerodynamic effect that
produces additional lift is called the Magnus Effect.
• The combined lifting effect from buoyant (helium)
lift and aerodynamic (Magnus) lift help stabilize
the Air Rotor against "leaning" in the wind.
Fig:Floating of Mars
Specifications of 4kw Mars
Magenn Power Product Model 4kW Temperature Range -40ºC to +60ºC